Month: August 2024

Warm SE winds but a disapointing start in the bushes which seemed relativly quiet. I eventually came across a pocket of activity in the enclousure, South Foreland: 2 Pied Flycatchers, 5 Spotted Flyctchers a handful of Willow Warbler.

Yellow Wagtails and hirundines were moving as were the first numbers of Swifts Ive seen for a week or two. Green Sandpiper and Ringed Plover also heard overhead but there seemed a distanct lack of Raptors. A kettle of Common Buzzards moved West just inland of Fan Bay but the highlight of the day was picked up over the water just off langdon hole as I walked home.

A pale juvenile Honey Buzzard was arriving at Langdon hole as HBs do in the spring and summer. The bird circled a few times over the cliffs and moved West inland as they all do when arriving on this line.

Thrilling! but doesnt qite compete with LP’s 8 East over Beachy head today. Presumably either a continental bird or a bird heading south turning back and coming back in.

Another Pied Flycatcher was in the dead ash tree on Foxhill down en route home.

While driving home from a fruitless Gull session I made an emergency stop as a flock of White Storks flew over the road between st Margarets and Swingate.

32 of them to be exact. Likely Knepp introduced birds but nethertheless I really enjoyed them. Tarifa eat yer heart out.

Yesterdays birding was highlighted by single Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, 5 Whinchat, c20 Willow Warblers, 3 Wheatear, 2 Tree pipit and a small group of 5 or so Yellow Wagtails in with the cattle.

Finally some Gull action. Its been reasonably quiet along the coast for Yellow–legged and Caspian Gulls so far this autumn although Gerald S saw a juv Casp at Deal beach on the 22nd, my reglar attempts have held one or two YLG at best until today.

Heres the first of 2 juvs today, a Dutch ringed bird from Lelystad in the Netherlands which is the colony where good old Mars Muusse is the co-ordinator (and generous host to me on 2 visits.)

Here he is as a pullus, ringed by Mars and the team at the colony in Lelystad, NL.

The second Casp arrived from the horizon as I threw my last piece of bread, less advanced, less clean and silvery but a nicer shaped bird to my eye.

At last some action in the bushes. A text from Steve R that he had a Pied flycatcher in Fan bay encouraged me out of my late start/hang over situation and up the cliffs, where 3 Pied flys were flitting around in the dead Ash at Langdon, along with a Spotted Flycatcher.

Not much else to report other than an interesting high count of 10 Ravens appearing to arrive high in off the sea, another 3 did the same thing half an hour later.

Light SW, overcast but warm – A quick dash around Fox hill down (in the hope of a Pied fly) on the afternoon of the 14th took a nice turn when the gulls alerted me to a female Honey Buzzard, powering in over the eastern docks and heading for the Castle (15.35)

Continuing West after abit of circling and lost to view. This bird followed the same line as many I have seen arriving at Langdon , though of course more likely at this time of year could be following the coast rather than ‘in off the sea…(?) The same scenario happened on the 10th August last year in light SE winds.

Im yet to beat my (conservative) high count of 40 Willow warblers on the 11th and also yet to see anything more excting in the bushes but I’m still half in ‘Inland HB mode’ so not firing on full cylinders at the coast currently, if thats an excuse!

Apologies for the lack of posts on this blog recently. Ive been working abit and spending time looking inland for HBs and not spent much time up the cliffs at all however the brief visits have been producing small numbers of common autumn migrants.

My first juvenile Willow Warblers of the autumn were in Langdon hole on the 24th July, numbers of Sedge Warbler from this date too have been good especially in the fennel field where i counted a minimum of 10 on the 27th July.

2 Juvenile Marsh Harriers flew over Fox hill down on the 1st August and a cuckoo flew through my back garden on the 8th.

Ive been seeing juvenile Yellow-legged gulls on and off in small numbers since the 10th July, a few along the cliffs and one or two in Dover harbour but yesterday was the first time I threw bread for close views. Only one bird came in, classic bird already showing scapular moult at Deal beach.

Soon I will be up the cliffs everyday, but theres more Honey Buzzard ‘work’ to be done so untill then…